A man has admitted kidnapping and murdering an 11-year-old boy in 1989.

Danny Heinrich, 53, appeared in court on Tuesday in Minnesota on child pornography charges and confessed to killing Jacob Wetterling.

Jacob was last seen playing on his bike 27 years ago when he was abducted not far from his home.

His brother and a friend who were with him at the time said he was snatched by a masked man with a gun who threatened to shoot them unless they ran away.

Jacob's body was never found but his parents Patty and Jerry continuously appealed for help to solve his case and kept his name in the media spotlight.

They also became campaigners for other missing children even getting a law passed by Congress in 1991 which required states to establish sex offender registries.

It was reported at the weekend that a 'person of interest', said to be Heinrich, had led investigators to the spot where Jacob's remains were found and the child's body was formally identified.

In court, Heinrich was asked whether he abducted, sexually assaulted and murdered Jacob and he replied: "Yes I did."